Spotted this thread on Big Game about a 5-year old Killing a Deer.

I'm trying to anticipate some of the responses as words to the effect that "each child matures at a different rate". Since parents tend to over-rate their own children, lets base the Poll on "other peoples children"(not related to you).

If I skip an age you want to vote for, toss it into your answer.

Question:
When do you believe a typical(not related to you) child reaches a Maturity level where they understand Killing and should be allowed to begin Hunting?

Choices:
16
15
14
13
12
11
10
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1

 

quote:

When do you believe a typical(not related to you) child reaches a Maturity level where they understand Killing and should be allowed to begin Hunting?

The age depends on what and how they are taught by the parents, I know some that are 40 that aren't old enough..02

My son was taught to shoot a .22/.410 at age 6. Age 7 I put him 40 yds from a deer. Shanked the shot. Didn't want to hunt last year. Killed a nice doe this year.

quote:

Originally posted by Ohier:
My son was taught to shoot a .22/.410 at age 6. Age 7 I put him 40 yds from a deer. Shanked the shot. Didn't want to hunt last year. Killed a nice doe this year.

Interesting.

Was he hunting for himself because he loves the idea of hunting, or was he hunting to please dad?

My 8 year old daughter's sat in deer stands and blinds with us since she was 3 . . . we bought her a rifle (TC Contender with 22 WMR and 7-30 Waters barrels) for Christmas last year and she's hunted with us a bit this year. She shot at and missed a spike Axis buck earlier this year . . . she keeps telling us she really wants her first buck to have "nice antlers" (on the Axis, she first said it wasn't big enough but then decided to shoot it when I told its hide would make a nice rug).

Out here in the country, lots of kids start hunting in the 7-8-9 range.

One other thing that concerns me for states where they don't allow kids to hunt is that they're putting hurdles in the way of recruiting future hunters . . . believe me, kids get hooked on Nintendo at an early age!

Troy

You can't judge when the neighbors kid is old enough to hunt can you? As for my kid when he asks if he can go you can bet that I will take him. If you dont take them when they want to when do you. If I think he is capable of taking a shot I will let him. You just have to do your homework first. Merry Christmas and God Bless, Louis

My oldest son is very large for his age, he begun hunting with me at the age of three, we started squirrel & starling hunting and graduated to Raccoons and predator hunting. he fully understood the concept of death. Early hunting has been a tradition in my family.
I have purchased rifles that fit his frame.

quote:

Originally posted by swheeler:
...The age depends on what and how they are taught by the parents, I know some that are 40 that aren't old enough..02

I thought your close and personal buddy(who is a doughnut eater) was older than that.
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Had a story on the mostly worthless news(?) about an 8-year old Killing his Father and his Father's buddy about a week ago. His Father apparently taught him how to shoot.

quote:

Originally posted by youngoutdoors:
You can't judge when the neighbors kid is old enough to hunt can you? ...

Hey Louis, No offense intended, but I'll politely disagree. That is why I structured the question the way I did - omitting a parents own children.

I've been in a situation where multitudes of parents brought along their children to Hunt large old Plantations. We (the owners and 3-4 others) would observe them(including the parents) very closely and then decide. We used basically 4 criteria:
1. How attentive were they(kids and parents) during our Orientation?
2. Were they able to get into proper shooting positions with their rifle without coaching? Usually the Off-Hand position was too much for some of their young muscles.
3. Were they using an Adequate Cartridge capable of making clean shoulder-to-shoulder Kill shots?
4. What size 3-shot group did they make in the position they favored the most? This determined what type Stand they went to.
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The reason this bothers me is because of one particular kid who's Dad pushed him too fast.(That is not intended as a slam on you.) His Father was a military pilot and the boy had no curosity about Hunting or shooting when he was(I think) 9-years old. But, his Father wanted him to Hunt. The boy is now about 40 and has not touched a firearm since he reached 16.

That one young boy caused us to change the way we viewed visitors, after his first visit. But, in the end, Hunting lost him because he was "pushed" into something where he did not understand what was going on and had no normal curosity.
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I took two brothers afield when they were 6 and 7. Neither had a firearm, but they had the spark and the curosity. I explained about sitting still and they were like statues. We saw a lot of Deer that first day. They would hold their breath until they nearly burst to keep from making any noise.

They were cousins of the other youngster and their Father was also a military pilot. They were both always "in the way" at the Skinning Shed. They could not absorb enough information about the Hunts and were constantly asking questions. They both became fine Hunters.
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Good Hunting and clean 1-shot Kills.

quote:

Originally posted by Hot Core:

quote:

Originally posted by swheeler:
...The age depends on what and how they are taught by the parents, I know some that are 40 that aren't old enough..02

I thought your close and personal buddy(who is a doughnut eater) was older than that.
-----

Had a story on the mostly worthless news(?) about an 8-year old Killing his Father and his Father's buddy about a week ago. His Father apparently taught him how to shoot.

quote:

Originally posted by vapodog:

quote:

Originally posted by Hot Core:

quote:

Originally posted by swheeler:
...The age depends on what and how they are taught by the parents, I know some that are 40 that aren't old enough..02

I thought your close and personal buddy(who is a doughnut eater) was older than that.
-----

Had a story on the mostly worthless news(?) about an 8-year old Killing his Father and his Father's buddy about a week ago. His Father apparently taught him how to shoot.

Very good point and that is exactly why I said WHAT and HOW they are taught- evidently this kid was taught nothing about respect for life, self control and God.

Hot Core, First I never over encourage my son to shoot or hunt. I think youngsters first have to want to. They have to ask to go and participate to be allowed to do so. My wife ask me to take him more that he does and I tell her he has to want to before I will take him. He still doesn't have a firearm because he has not wanted one yet. After he wants one a while I will get him one. All of his older cousins hunt and have killed several deer and them talking about it makes him want to go and do as they do because they are buddies. He only shoots from a two point rest and is pretty good. Good enough to hit rabbit in the head because that is where I told him to shoot it. (I don't like cleaning gut shot animals). He had an opportunity at a deer in a Christmas tree field earlier and we could only see the head most of the time. I told him if he could hit it in the head he could shoot at it. After a few minutes looking through the scope he decided not to try it. The head would not hold still long enough. I have witnessed kids that were pushed into hunting and went the other way. I sure don't want that to happen to us because this is my only child. But if he wants to then I am all for it and will help him any way I know how. We looked at hunting magazines for weeks and he can put the point of a pencile where the bullet needs to go on pictures of animals as well and many people my age. Occasionally he will miss a little but that is why he only limited to broadside or a head shot. These deer are usually with 100 yds and he can group off of the bench as good as his cousins that are 11 and 16 years of age. We do not hunt on plantations or in parties where there are other people to be concerned with. We are hunting from enclosed houses with shooting rest built in. He cannot fire until I take the rifle off safety. I know all kids are not that proficient. I have guided alot of adults that I worry alot more with about safety. Especially turkey hunting. I will continue to take him if he continues to WANT to go. Merry Christmas and God Bless, Louis

Every child is unique. Some aren't ready even into their teens. Some are. Some are ready early. I think a lot has to do with how patient thair mentors, fathers, uncles, ?, are with them and their own development too. I have buddies whose young sons are a pleasure to hunt with and some who I avoid. The troublesome ones would rather be doing something else, and they should be. The corelation between the time and patience the father has shown seems to be the distinction.

I began hunting with my son when he was three. I didn't burden my hunting buddies, but took him alone with me. He carried a cap gun and that allowed me to teach him how to handle a firearm safely. But you can't push 'em. Some of our trips were 15min of hunting and three hours of turning over logs, looking for salamanders or frog hunting or throwing sticks in the pond. You gotta resign yourself to it and just have fun sharing time with your youngster. Over time, remarkably short time, imo, came patience.

But to help with the slow times or the cold, etc, I packed enough extra clothes for him for an artic expedition, enough food for three days it seems and even books to "read" or coloring books. I used a day pack to stuff everything and kept our hunts short. Pop up blinds are a father's salvation for taking youngsters hunting, imo. Some concentration from the youngster, then some food then maybe a nap on the floor, or some reading or coloring... When that deer shows up, just a young doe to watch... wow, its fantastic to see the kid's excitement...

He was five when we first killed a deer together. Gutting was interesting as heck to him with a thousand questions and no qualms.

After the cap gun, a BB gun, then an unloaded 22... eventually an unloaded black powder or 243. When I thought he was ready we would stand hunt and load just one while in the stand or pop up blind. He killed his first deer last year at seven. A three point buck at ~35yds.

He asks to go at every opportunity and tells me its unfair when I can go during the week but he has school... When he took his hunter safety class just as he turned seven, I did too, though I'm grandfathered in under our state's law. He scored higher on the test than I did! Why, because he was interested and knew he needed to do well to actually have the opportunity.

I keep the range at which he may shoot limited to his ability, now up to ~75yds or so. He can put three touching on paper at that range. It gives him confidence and me too.

As far as a rifle or whatever is legal, if it is too heavy for off hand, shooting sticks are the answer, and shooting sticks are good practice for all hunters.

We hunt doves, ducks and geese together as well. Finding and making guns fit is critical, and a PITA for dad, but essential.

My 2 cents.

JPK

Some great replys in this thread. A lot of lucky kids from my persective as a Hunter Safety Instructor.
I see too many kids in the courses (12 - 16yrs old) without any parental involvement in preparing them for the responsibility and privelege of hunting. Some are pretty immature, and a lot think hunting will be like what they see on TV (lots of "shooting" without any "hunting").My thanks to the parents who foster an interest in hunting and the outdoors as these kids are a pleasure to teach.

Every kid is an individual and there is no way I can answer the question without spending some time with that kid, at the rifle range, in the woods etc.

My boys have been shooting and going with me since they were old enough to walk.

I felt my oldest was ready (not legal) at 8, and just finished his first season at age 10. Shot a mature doe with a 22-250 and 53gr TSX. (I had to put that in for Hot Core ) He was ready, and comprehends exactly what he is doing. I still have to be vigilant and continue the outdoor education.

My youngest is currently 7, I don't think he is ready yet. I do not know if he will be ready at 8 like his older brother. They have two very different personalities and mannerisms. I will have to see. He will not hunt until I am 100% confident in his ability. The earliest will be age 10 as that is the legal age in South Dakota for a mentoring season. But I may not let him, if I feel he is not ready.

I would like to add, that I know some forty year olds that shouldn't be hunting.

I'm sure you are talking about how old they need to be to start taking the shot, but I was taking my grandson hunting when he was 6. He was allowed to take his first shot at the age of 9 (killed a nice 10 point buck--dropped it in its tracks). He has become an excellent shot, but I still believe he is a bit young to hunt entirely by himself. I'm thinking 11 or 12 for that, but that's only because he's been trained properly--taken the hunters safety course and has been properly exposed to hunting. For those without such experience, they'll have to be older.

It is alot different if you are taking someone elses kid. You have no idea how they are going to react or if they have any firearms training or knowledge. I'd say for me to be comfortable with a kid with a firearm they should be a teenager. That is why most kids should already be taught firearms safety and be experienced in hunting, shooting from their parents, grandparents, guardians, some kin at least; before turned loose with people they do not know with a firearm in their hands. Merry Christmas and God Bless, Louis PS Thought I would put you back at the top HOT CORE --- Yeah your welcome.

I drew first blood at 9 so did my brother. We grew up on a ranch and were taught to shoot and hunt at a young age. I live in a large city now, my wife teaches high school and I dont konow how may of those kids I'd trust with a hunting rifle. Damn shame!

Ed

I voted for age 12 but was thinking of deer hunting only and I wouldn't consider letting a kid do any kind of hunting before age 10 at the very earliest. Sure they may understand how a firearm works and all but I just dont think most kids understand the finality of death and the huge responsibility that you carry with you when you have an animals life in your hands. JMO.

quote:

Hunting lost him because he was "pushed" into something where he did not understand what was going on and had no normal curosity.
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That is the best statement made so far on the subject.

Over the years, I have seen plenty of parent/child relationships as far as hunting goes either blossom or die on the vine.

Too many times, it was because the parent pushed things, especially in those situations when there was no natural spark there.

Some, perhaps many, will not agree with this, but I believe that a person has to be born with the desire to hunt already in their system, and that for someone to develope that desire if it isn't there, they have to be worked with diligently, but at a pace that lets the desire grow.

I grew up in a home that did not hunt, in the 1950's.

Yet my earliest memoriesgrowing up, I was drawn toward hunting/fishing and the outdoors.

A few people came along that allowed me the chance to experience such things during my early teens.

Had someone been there when I was 8 or 10 years old, I would probably have started then.

I have seen too many men, drive not only their children away from hunting, but their wives as well, simply because the kid/wife did not show the same enthusiasm as the Dad/Husband did.

He became frustrated and pushed even harder, which caused the wife/child to lose interest and stop trying.

I have seen this happen to both hunting and fishing situations.

Getting most men to slow down and let things happen naturally is one of the hardest aspects of the whole system, as we want everyone to feel the same way we do, and be as in love with the activity as we are. JMO.

quote:

Originally posted by youngoutdoors:
...I'd say for me to be comfortable with a kid with a firearm they should be a teenager. ...

Hey Louis, It is obvious "you have been thinking" about the same thing I was.

That is a real concern for people Hunting with a particular Child that they are not related to. It puts them in a very uncomfortable position about whether to Hunt, or not Hunt, with another parents Child. The perception of a Child being too young creates an additional level of Stress(deserved or not) at a time when people are trying to remove themselves from their normal Work Stress, Home Stress, Health Stress, Money Stress, whatever.

Even when folks are mature enough to be held responsible for commiting an egregious error while Hunting, it is not something I ever looked forward to having to deal with. I always thought they should have known better. That is not always the situation with an immature Child.

Thank you for thinking about it. Best of luck to you.

If it is going to become a topic of children versus teenagers, having hunted with both, I will take 8 to 12 year olds over teen agers any day.

From my personal experiences, the pre-teen kids have been more prone to listen, where as the teens have been more prone to want to try things for themselves because they do have a little knowledge.

I know that it depends on the individual kid and how they were taught, but to me the younger kids seem to be more open minded, where as the teens seem to done have some of the stuff they have learned or been taught, already set in stone, and convincing them that what they have been taught and used to doing in one locale, may not or will not work in another.

The hunting field is not the place to unteach or re-adjust a young persons thinking. JMO.

I find it very hard to respond to this question because the answer is loaded with a lot of "what ifs" and "maybes".

There is no "typical" child.

They are ready when they are ready. It is up to the parents to pick up on that and determine how to proceed from that point. It is especially difficult in situations where the parents themselves are non-hunters or even anti-gun.

I believe a child not given the opportunity to try something like hunting when they have interest could be a real loss to the sport, and that our numbers are dwindling because parents have less time to take an active interest in their childrens pursuit of knowledge.

My Dad used to hunt long before I was born. I never knew he hunted, he stopped after an accident injured/killed someone he knew (not sure the details) and never took it up again until well after I was born.

I remember being a young child, asking him if the guns in the Sears catalog could kill a big bear (they were Crossman air guns!). It sparked something, but it was too unfocused to really develop into anything at that point, since he didn't hunt I assumed he wouldn't really be able to share much information.

But a few months later, I noticed there was a guns section in the Canadian Tire catalog and I again approached him with the same question, wanting to know how powerful they were. These of course were centerfire Savages and Winchesters and he said "why don't we go have a look?" so we went to the store and I held a rifle for the first time. All the way down there he stressed safety and told me how to behave and handle the rifle.

He caught on pretty quickly that I was into this whole "gun thing". Mom didn't care for them, but played along with it when Dad announced he had arranged for me to shoot some guns. Nothing major, just a .22lr and a .243 belonging to a friend of his, but the .243 was pretty stout for a 12 year old that was 100 pounds soaking wet at the most. The power of recoil and report as well as seeing the bullet holes through the trees convinced me these things meant business. Also on hand was a 7mm Remington Magnum, I never fired it but in comparison it seemed like a freakin' howitzer.

Once that impression was established, he started introducing me to many of his friends, experienced hunters who could feed knowledge to fuel the imagination better than any textbook, and I tagged along with them at the shooting range and in the field. The earliest opportunity I was enrolled in the hunters safety program and passed easily, I was now a card-carrying "hunter".

I think I was 13 at the time. I'm now 29 and thankful my Dad caught on to my interest at an early age. I don't "stick" with it all the time, life is busy and it's hard to make the time for shooting/hunting. It's not any different than online video games with friends or playing guitar or snowboarding - it's a sport/hobby to me just like the rest, but instead of using a computer or guitar or snowboard, I use a rifle.

I can't help but wonder how many people were in my situation back then but no one ever picked up on it? How many more hunters would we have nowadays had they had a parent pick up on their interests? Who knows. I don't think anyone is ever too young to learn how to hunt, and the starting age is different for everyone. I have a feeling had my Dad kept hunting I would have gotten started much sooner.

I have my own son to think about now. I mean he won't be starting anytime soon, he can't even walk yet, but inquiring minds *do* want to know, and hopefully if he shows an interest in hunting and shooting he'll be comfortable with just asking, same as with any other sport/hobby. If he understands the dangers and why firearms safety and wildlife conservation are important, I really don't see why I would hold him back.

I've seen 5 year olds be more safety conscious with firearms than 50 year olds who think they know it all, so I really don't thing age is that critical, certainly not as important as willingness to learn and follow instructions.

evry child is unique quit well sums it up.
my own son, now 25, went with me when he was 10 or 11, took hunter safty as soon as he could, at 12( in wisconsin) and hunted along side me in the stand for his first two years (pretty typical for our area)his third year, then 15, he decided he didn't care for hunting so much and hasn't gone since. ironicly, he came up to me this year at the end of the season and mentioned to me that next year he wants to come hunting with me again. ....it made me smile....
my daughter, now 22, has been a hunter and a fisherwoman from day one and never misses a chance to go fishing summer or winter and will shoot and gut her own deer as well as most men. she also bowhunts, shoots target archery, carries a 296 average in leagues!, with several 300's to her name and won one of wisconsin's biggest 3-d tournaments during her second year of shooting a bow when she was 17. now she didn't show any intrest in all this untill she was 15. she went through hunter safety at the same time as my son, but didn't hunt for two years.

I see a lot of votes for 17 and I'm surprised as there's a lot of threads I've read about folks asking what caliber for much younger kids.

Much of this is quite personal and a matter of how much supervision a "dad" is willing to give.

I think 16 is a fair age for a beginning hunter however.